Spudooli 18 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Our 2006 E90 320i has a very noisy diff. Jebus only knows why it hasn't lasted longer than this... Anyways, never having had to deal with a diff problem before, my question is what is the best course of action here? Should I repair or is it better/easier to just replace from a wrecker? If repair is the consensus, can anyone recommend a shop? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 would just replace. repair job will require all new bearings and seals. and if the bearings have let go the teeth may be damaged. same money get a second hand diff swap over fill with good oil and be done in a day Sent from my GT-I8160L using Tapatalk 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Has the fluid/oil level ever been checked? "Sealed for life", says BMW. That's b*ll*cks, says anyone who knows anything about cars... If you can find one s/h, get it checked before fitting. I've never played with one that new, but whenever I've swapped diffs there has been a need for shimming to ensure correct meshing and minimal lash. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spudooli 18 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 Apparently the correct level of oil is inside it still. And good point about the bearings and teeth. I hadn't thought of that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Apparently the correct level of oil is inside it still. Our Touring had the right amount of 'oil' in the diff, but calling it 'oil' may violate the trades description act (or similar). It was thin, watery, and pretty much lacking in any sort of properties normally associated with lubrication. However, it had been there for over 11 years, and covered around 350000km, a time and distance that probably equates to manufacturer's lifetime expectations. How many kms has your car done? Could it be considered high? If not, it is curious why the diff should be noisy... Obviously annoyance and a desire to get it sorted come first, but it'd be interesting to find out. Repair is possible, but replacement will be quicker and simpler, even if shimming is needed. Edited January 24, 2014 by gjm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spudooli 18 Report post Posted January 25, 2014 It's only done 110,000km which is not very much for a diff I would have thought. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted January 25, 2014 It's only done 110,000km which is not very much for a diff I would have thought. Changing the oil at 100k might be recommendable, but only because 100 is a good arbitrary number and easily remembered. 110,000km isn't much. It does sound as though the problems you are experiencing are unlikely to be entirely attributable to use; the diff in our 320d has a little very smooth noise at low speeds, but that's far more acceptable under the circumstances. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
